Art Can Unite The World Under One Roof!

I was sitting and sipping a coffee with my friend Janet and her parents when I first heard about the State Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg Russia. What caught my attention was the enthusiasm in which her father Dick described it. He said that it was a museum that was well in the league of the Louvre in Paris. How could I not be intrigued?

How Hard Can It Be To Find The State Hermitage Museum?

Can you spot it?

Honestly if I was left to my own devices I would probably never make my way from point A to point B without getting lost. Shawn however has his internally compass aligned with the Earth’s very poles. Give him a map or better still Google maps and he won’t lose his way. For those of you who are like me I’m just noting down the address (Palace Square 2, Saint Petersburg) but rest assured if you know what the State Hermitage museum looks like and you pass by it you won’t miss it… Not!!!

On the contrary the Hermitage museum can sometimes blend into the background. I’m not saying that it isn’t grand (because it certainly is!) but some of the sides of the museum (Definitely not the front!) have a similar architectural structure to the buildings at the side of it.

Getting In Can Be A Hassle So Be Prepared To Wait

Just like the Louvre the State Hermitage museum has its own set of queues. The weather can be unpredictable so make sure you have something warm and dry to protect you especially if you go in winter. The cost of the ticket is 600 rouble per person and it gives you access to the main museum and its branches. That is if you stand in line and wait to get the ticket.

If you choose to get the ticket online you pay a higher price which is approximately 1000 rouble per person. An interesting point to note is the fact that the State Hermitage museum offers free entrance for all individuals on the first Thursday of every month. Don’t think of going on a Monday because the museum is shut on every Monday of the month.

Lock It All Up!

Once you’ve made your way through the crowds you will have to look around for the cloak room. Don’t worry too much and follow the crowd. Food, liquids, bags and high heels are not allowed inside the State Hermitage museum. Considering how big the museum is it may just be a wise idea to ditch the heels for more comfortable walking shoes.

Hang your coats up and get a token. Keep the token with you because you will need it when you get your audio guide. The next step is to get a locker. We stuffed our bag into the locker and made sure to keep our printed receipt safe.

The Audio Guides

Audio guides are not included as part of the museum fee. You need to pay an additional 500 roubles for the guide and deposit your coat token with them. Don’t forget to note your token number before you deposit it though! We almost did.

Are the audio guides useful? That depends on what you want to gain out of it and which wing of the State Heritage museum you are headed towards. Temporary displays aren’t listed on the audio guide but the permanent ones are. The map will give you numbers which you can punch in. We found that these numbers provide information about the room. The numbers next to the artwork however give you more information about an individual piece of art and its artist.

Follow The Yellow Brick Road?

While the road may not have yellow bricks the overall decor definitely had a lot of yellow and gold.

Unfortunately there is no yellow brick road to follow. The map however will give you the recommended path. We did stray of it every once in a while but in the general view of things we found it extremely useful. While the State Hermitage museum may not necessarily be as big as the Louvre you can cover almost all aspects of it in a day.

Unfortunately there isn’t much place to sit. Oh and beware of the chairs with gold ribbons across them. They are scattered across the rooms in the State Hermitage museum but they aren’t meant to sit on though they look tantalizingly tempting! I’ve nearly dropped my weary ass in them a couple of times.

Art Is In Perspective And Beauty Is Part Of Life

Art isn’t just displayed. You need to pay attention to the walls.

There are just so many times when we walk by artifacts and never give them a second glance. The State Hermitage museum possesses so many artifacts that you really do not know where to look. Interestingly enough the art is divided based on the medium that is used to craft it. A corridor may be lined with old carpets or paintings. Old clocks, molded sculptures and antiques of various shapes and hues fought for our attention.

Some artifacts require a little more pondering than others.

And then there are some that seem to be doing the pondering for us.

I could only dream of owning a library like this!

Anyone searching for a Knight in shinning armor?

The World United Under The Roof Of The State Hermitage Museum

One would expect that the State Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg would contain just Russian artifacts but no! The exhibition includes art from all parts of the world. Some pieces are on loan, others are donated while still others are bought. The artists are quiet well known. While we are not a big connoisseurs of art we still managed to spot pieces by the famed Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphaello Santi.

It’s fun to keep looking from painting to painting hoping to recognize the work of the great masters. Don’t worry too much because the audio guide does help a lot!

Hunger Strikes Hard

Not the most appetizing item I have eaten. Truth be told I don’t even know what it was!

With the food and water locked away in the locker you are at the mercy of the café that is located within the State Hermitage museum. When you are hungry you don’t really care what you eat or how expensive it is. The food in the café is definitely not world class and is expensive compared to the usual norm. That’s why I would suggest eating a nice hefty breakfast.

And The Wheels Of Carriage Go Round And Round!

A real working carriage!

As we got out of the State Hermitage museum we paused. The world looked so different outside. The gloom and doom of the grey skies was replaced with the black night. The lights that illuminated the museum gave the night a beauty that really took me by surprise but what really made my day were the two carriages that were stationed near the entrance. A perfect end to the day!

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